MG confirms seven-seat large SUV for Australia

MG Motor Australia has revealed to carsales that it will enter the bustling large SUV segment for the first time with an all-new seven-seat model within the next 12 months.

No details have been confirmed at this early stage, but it’s likely the model in question will be plucked from another brand within China’s huge SAIC Auto Group and rebadged as an MG for Australia.

“We can confirm that we’re on track to bring a seven-seat SUV to Australia in the very near future,” MG Motor Australia product and strategy senior manager Akshat Ahuja told carsales.

“This car will take full advantage of its innovative design with a spacious interior and what is likely to be best-in-class headroom.”

A quick scour of the internet reveals the Roewe RX9 (pictured here) as the most likely candidate, since it is larger than both the MG ZS small SUV and the MG HS mid-size SUV – both of which will also be renewed in Australia this year – and the 2025 MG HS will likely be a rebadged Roewe RX5.

If that’s the case, MG’s all-new seven-seat SUV will measure 4983mm long, 1967mm wide and 1786mm tall, riding on a 2915mm wheelbase and tipping the scales at between 1940kg and 2030kg depending on the trim level and powertrain.

Powering all RX9 variants is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine outputting 178kW/392Nm and driving either the front or all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel consumption is rated at between 8.4-8.8L/100km depending on the variant, but it’s unclear which test cycle the figure is based on – likely the more lenient CLTC.

Even the base model in China comes with niceties including 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats, a power-adjustable second-row, eight-speaker sound system, electric panoramic sunroof, tri-zone climate control and keyless entry/start.

There’s of course no guarantee that all these features will be offered in Australia, however, the local MG division will likely rectify the lack of standard safety equipment in entry variants – which go without autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, forward collision warning and more in China – to avoid a repeat of the MG5 small sedan’s zero-star ANCAP safety rating

Ahuja said MG Motor Australia would “continue to work collaboratively with ANCAP and the authorities to ensure” it is “providing Australian motorists with safe and value-packed cars”.

carsales understands the MG-badged Roewe RX9 will arrive Down Under in either late 2024 or early 2025 alongside the new MG7 medium sedan, joining the new HS mid-sized SUV – which will arrive here in August after its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July – and the replacement for Australia’s top-selling small SUV, the MG ZS, which is earmarked to arrive in October.

Word is the new HS will retain its familiar petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains, but that latter will offer a superior electric range and charging capabilities via a new-generation battery.

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